MARTINSON REPEATS AS DOERKSEN TRIUMPHS FOR THE FIRST TIME
July 24th, 2014

 

It came down to the final few seconds after 7 months of competition to determine the winners of the 2014 Timex BC Road Running Series. After Kimberley Doerksen crossed the finish line in 35:17 at the Summerfast 10K she had to wait to see if it was quick enough to surpass Catherine Watkins in the rankings. As the clock ticked past 35:24 Watkins would be unable to improve her existing point score, and so Doerksen moved to the top of the podium, and with it collected $1,000.

Similar stories played out down the field for minor places, as runners either completed their fifth race in the series to qualify for series awards, or looked to discard a low score with a faster time.

The Timex BC Road Running Series comprised 15 races, held throughout the province, starting at the Harriers Pioneer 8K in Saanichton in January, and concluding with Saturday’s Summerfast 10K in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. Times are converted to a point score, with an athlete’s 5 best scores determining their place in the rankings. The top 4 men and women at the series end are invited to represent BC at the Timex Series Finale held in conjunction with the Canadian 10K Championship at the Oasis ZooRun 10K in Toronto on September 20.

When the dust (or more accurately the rain) had settled, VFAC’s Doerksen beat Watkins by just 4 points, 4398 to 4394. Sabrina Wilkie took third with 4355 points. Top 10 women were:

1. Kimberley Doerksen 4398                             
2. Catherine Watkins 4394
3. Sabrina Wilkie 4355
4. Jen Moroz 4195
5. Melissa Ross 4185
6. Claire Morgan 4165
7. Katherine Moore 4136
8. Shauna Gersbach 4063
9. Kristin Smart 4056
10. Brittany Therrien 3989

On the men’s side, Prairie Inn Harrier Geoff Martinson was untouchable, winning 4 of his 5 races outright, and scoring a record 4527 points – the first time anyone has exceeded 4500 points. The battle for second was much closer, and was only decided at the final race. Despite Theo Hunt beating Adam Byles on the day, his margin was not enough to surpass Byles in the rankings, as Byles scored 4324 to Hunt’s 4315. Top 10 men were:

1. Geoff Martinson 4527  
2. Adam Byles 4324  
3. Theo Hunt 4315  
    Logan Roots 4181* *Not eligible for prizing as an Athletics Yukon member
4. Kevin O'Connor 4174  
5. Nicholas Browne 4110  
6. Craig Odermatt 4095  
7. Mark Bennett 4031  
8. Chris Barth 3963  
9. Aaron Weidman 3950  
10. Chris Napier 3853  

Complete 2014 Timex BC Road Running Series information and rankings can be found here.

The 2015 Timex BC Series will kick off again on January 11, 2015 at the Harriers Pioneer 8K, also hosting the 2015 BC 8K Championship.

2014 Timex BC Road Running Series winners (photo credits Rick Horne):

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